ARLINGTON, Va. – U.S. military researchers needed a way for intelligence analysts quickly to access and analyze a growing amount of satellite imagery using cloud computing. They found their solution from the BAE Systems Electronic Systems segment in San Diego.
Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., announced a $2 million contract to BAE Systems last week for the Geospatial Cloud Analytics (GCA) project.
GCA seeks to create scalable computer cloud-based repository of global satellite data, make it accessible via common interfaces, and start developing analytics-as-a-service for U.S. military users.
The rapid pace of new commercial satellite constellation launches has led to a significant increase in the amount and availability of geospatial imagery, DARPA researchers point out.
Until now, however, there has been no straightforward way for analysts to access and analyze all of that imagery. Instead, today's ad-hoc, time-intensive a…

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected teams from academia and commercial industry to explore flexible computer architectures that can exploit specialised hardware to quickly and efficiently solve a range of computing problems.
These selected teams have also been chosen to determine the advantages that new materials and radically different architectures can bring when integrating disparate chip components into larger systems.
The teams will also investigate methods to co-optimise software and hardware without introducing programming complexity through its Software Defined Hardware (SDH) and Domain-specific System on Chip (DSSoC) programmes. Both efforts aim to prove that efficiency and flexibility can be achieved, without compromising either characteristic as seen in current technology such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).
janes.com

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrive for a meeting with Russian ambassadors and representatives to international organizations in Moscow, on July 19. Putin and President Donald Trump have attempted to improve their countries' strained ties, but the Republican leader has faced a backlash at home.SERGEI KARPUKHIN/AFP/Getty ImagesLavrov's remarks came at a complex time for U.S.-Russia ties, which have in recent years undergone their most difficult period since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent end of the Cold War. President Donald Trump has sought to work with Putin to restore the two leading powers' relationship, but has been hit with significant criticism for his efforts, especially due to persistent allegations that Trump's campaign colluded with Russia in an attempt to secure a victory in the 2016 presidential election.Putin has denied any involvement in the affair and Trump has offered conflicti…

DALLAS. Officials at the U.S. Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) selected Lockheed Martin for the Integrated Systems Developer for its Expedient Leader Follower (ExLF) program.
Under the program, Lockheed Martin will lead a three-year effort to develop, integrate, and test unmanned prototype systems for supporting leader/follower convoy activities within an asymmetric threat environment. Soldiers will conduct operational technology demonstrations using the prototypes developed in the ExLF program to establish operating procedures and shape future programs of record.
Gaylia Campbell, vice president of Precision Fires & Combat Maneuver Systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, says "Our goal as the Integrated Systems Developer is to help coordinate a number of systems and vendors in achieving mature, reliable autonomous convoys to support our warfighters in complex environments."
The program was created in response…

FARNBOROUGH, England – The Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter is advancing towards an early operational capability planned for the end of next year. AIN Online reports.
The Leonardo Osprey 30 active electronically scanned array (AESA) multi-mode radar is being added to the Fire Scout unmanned helicopter, with flight trials expected to get under way this fall.
The lightweight Osprey comprises two AESA arrays that are mounted either side of the nose, providing a very wide sector coverage. It is also being equipped with a Link 16 data link to improve interoperability and its ability to perform targeting for shipborne weapon systems.
In the meantime, the MQ-8C recently has completed its first initial operational test and evaluation campaign. The assessment, which was off Southern California by VX-1 aboard USS Coronado and completed on June 29, included joint MQ-8C/MH-60S missions.
militaryaerospace.com

Last year, theDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which funds a range of blue-sky research efforts relevant to the US military, launched a $1.5 billion, five-year program known as the Electronics Resurgence Initiative (ERI) to support work on advances in chip technology. The agency has just unveiled the first set of research teams selected to explore unproven but potentially powerful approaches that could revolutionize US chip development and manufacturing. Hardware innovation has taken something of a back seat to software advances in recent years, and that bothers the US military for several reasons. End of an era At the top of the list is that Moore’s Law, which holds that the number of transistors fitted on a chip doubles roughly every two years, is reaching its limits (see “Moore’s Law is dead. Now what?”). That could stymie future advances in electronics that the military relies on, unless new architectures and designs can allow progress in chip performance to continu…

Airman 1st Class Aaron J. Jenne AA Font size + Print The proposed F-15X will have a one-person cockpit, not the pilot-and-weaponeer team in these F-15E Strike Eagles. The new F-15 combat aircraft that Boeing is pitching to the U.S. Air Force would have a single-seat cockpit and a host of new weapons, including anti-ship missiles, Defense One has learned.If the Air Force bites, the so-called F-15X would be the Pentagon’s first new Eagles since a 2002 purchase of the air-to-ground variant known as the F-15E Strike Eagle. But various allies have purchased newer variants of the Cold War air-superiority fighter, as recently as last year. The X version would largely resemble the ones Qatar ordered in 2017, tuned up with the latest technology for the new era of great-power competition envisioned in the Pentagon’s National Defense Strategy, according to people with knowledge of the plane’s development.Boeing officials declined to comment.The Air Force and Boeing have been talking about how ne…

INQUIRER.net stock photo China is developing autonomous robotic submarines that will challenge the supposed post-World War II advantageous positions established by Western naval powers in strategic waters, including South China Sea and western Pacific Ocean.“Yes, we are doing it,” Lin Yang, marine technology equipment director at the Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences confirmed, as reported by South China Morning Post last Sunday, July 22. The institute, located in Liaoning province, is home to underwater robots production of the Chinese military.The project is part of China’s plan to boost its naval prowess with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Lin described the “Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles” (XLUUVs) development as a “countermeasure” against similar developments being made by the United States.The U.S. military struck a deal with Lockheed Martin and Boeing last year for two prototype XLUUVs by 2020. The U.S. navy will choose b…

The Italian Ministry of Defence has signed a EUR159 million (USD186 million) contract with the Iveco-Oto Melara consortium (CIO) for first 10 Centauro II fire-support vehicles.
CIO unveiled its new Centauro II fire-support vehicle at Eurosatory 2016.Photo by: IHS Markit/Nick de Larrinaga
CIO stated in a 24 July press release that the contract covers the first tranche of 136 Centauro IIs that will be ordered by the Italian Army and includes spares and logistics support for the 10 vehicles.
Under the terms of the contract, Iveco Defence Vehicles is responsible for the vehicles’ automotive components and hulls, its part being worth EUR65 million. Leonardo, which subsumed Oto-Melara in 2015, is responsible for the armament, mission systems, and final integration of the turret on the hulls: a share worth EUR92 million.
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Future submarines will be made of materials allowing subs to stay invisible for enemy radars, Scientific Head of the Krylov State Research Center Valery Polovinkin told TASS on Thursday on the eve of Russia’s Navy Day.
According to the scientist, the submarines’ sheathing will be made of the so-called meta-materials that will be able both to trace impacts and resist them.
"If the submarine’s sheathing is made of this material, any locator or acoustic signal will simply skirt it, spreading farther. Physically, such an invincible submarine can be developed," the expert said.
The submarines’ dimensions will be gradually decreasing and their division into strategic and multipurpose ships will become notional.
"The submarine’s affiliation with a particular class will be determined by the weapons mounted on it at the current moment. As weapons are improved, this difference will gradually disappear," he noted.
Meta-materials are composite materials specially structured t…

Chinese military personnel participate in a ceremony June 30 in Hong Kong.Photo by: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
China continues to steal intellectual property and trade secrets from U.S. companies for its own economic advancement and the development of its military but “at lower volumes” since the two countries forged an agreement in 2015 meant to curb the practice, according to a report published Thursday by American intelligence agencies.The assessment, which also incorporates the findings of private sector security experts, comes amid roiling trade tension between the U.S. and China that has spawned dueling tariffs on billions of dollars worth of goods. It is unlikely to quell concerns from the White House that China continues to pose a significant threat to American companies.[The U.S.-China trade war has begun. Here’s how things got to this point.]The report shows that China mounts a multifaceted approach to stealing secrets, which include computer software source codes, chemical …

The People’s Republic of China is forcefully denying that it steals dual-use technologies and intellectual properties from other countries such as the United States to advance its military capabilities. Beijing is also denying that it poses a nuclear proliferation threat around the world.Responding to U.S. assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferationChristopher Ford’s statements accusing China of illicitly obtaining advanced American technologies through means such as civil nuclear cooperation for military purposes, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying forcefully denied the allegations.“The accusation against China by the U.S. official is entirely groundless and irresponsible,” Hua said during apress conference on July 19 in Beijing. “We firmly oppose that.”Ford—speaking at a Center for Strategic and International Studiesevent in Los Alamos, New Mexico, on July 11, 2018 —said that China is actively breaking down barriers internally between…

The Army is arming Bradley Fighting Vehicles with heat-seeking Stinger air defense missiles to give the infantry carriers an improved ability to track and destroy enemy air threats such as drones, helicopters and low-flying aircraft.
Most current Bradleys are armed with TOW anti-tank missiles, a land weapon predominantly used for attacking enemy armored vehicles, bunkers or troop formations. Adding Stinger missiles will increase the attack envelope for the vehicles and potentially better enable them to protect maneuvering infantry and mechanized forces in combat.
“As directed by the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Army is conducting a proof of principle to incorporate Man Portable Air Defense Systems back into the Armored Brigade Combat Teams by modifying two dozen Bradleys to carry Stinger Missiles in lieu of TOW Missiles,” Ashley Givens, spokeswoman for Program Executive Officer, Ground Combat Systems, told Warrior Maven.
As anti-armor weapons, TOW missiles are not typically used t…

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ANKARA, Turkey — A leading Turkish drone manufacturer says it developed a “mobile naval mine” that can blow up warships of all types.
The Wattozz program has been jointly undertaken by Albayrak Savunma, a drone maker, and Karadeniz Technical University in Turkey’s Black Sea region. Wattozz is named after “vatoz,” which translates to stingray.
The Wattozz features the shape of a stingray and is made of titanium and aluminium. It has two cameras fitted into the eye sockets of the “stingray” and can cruise at a maximum speed of 5.5 knots for up to 12 hours. The drone features three integrated engines.
The mobile mine is an underwater drone that can be used for surveillance or assault missions. It can carry explosives and is controlled by encrypted acoustic sound waves.
The stealthy Wattozz cruises underwater and then sticks itself under the hull of an enemy vessel with electromagnetic magnets. The explosion is controlled from a remote station. It can stay inactive on the seabed while in…

The new year will likely bring a new secretary of defense, a renewed emphasis on changing how the Pentagon buys weapons systems and a continued focus on watching technological development by the Chinese government.

C4ISRNET asked industry leaders what trends they expect to emerge in the battlefield landscape in 2019. Here’s what they said:

Accelerated acquisition
“Right now, your toaster can tell your refrigerator that it needs to order more bread, but the world’s most advanced military is still challenged to connect its huge array of systems. That’s just not sustainable. Before the military can start tackling huge technological leaps like artificial intelligence, we have to change the way we develop weapon systems. I see 2019 as the point when the DoD really starts moving away from buying proprietary, stove-piped, closed hardware systems and instead looks to the commercial software world as a model for how we develop and integrate weapon systems. Focusing on commercial-style softwar…

Carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), hypersonic weapons, and the business of cyber security dominated reader interest highlighting some of the most important technological issues facing the U.S. defense industry. By Mil & Aero staff
Of 2018's top 10 most-read articles online at Military & Aerospace electronics, two concerned shipboard UAVs, and two were about the emergence and enabling technologies for a new generation of hypersonicweapons. Rounding-out 2018's most popular Military & Aerospace Electronics articles were on topics concerning emerging market powerhouses in cyber security; vetronics and armored combat vehicles; prospects for a future supercavitating torpedo; advanced military night vision; combat aircraft avionics; and the tense military situation in the South China Sea.
Five U.S. defense contractors are among the world's top 25 cyber security and trusted computing companies, say analysts at market researcher Cybersecurity Ventures in Nort…

It is perhaps axiomatic, and thus seemingly unnecessary, to say that computers have transformed modern war. But they have in ways both large and small; they have, for example, become deeply integrated with the full range of Army operations—part of a broader convergence of domains and thus part of a pattern that has led to the development of the multi-domain battle concept. The problem, however, is that military technology training has failed to keep pace with rapidly growing capabilities.

The result is that despite expanding digital footprints, most soldiers might as well be using typewriters, analog telephones, and chalkboards when it comes to the capabilities they bring to bear in pursuit of military objectives. Despite technology’s massive potential, waiting to be harnessed by members of the most advanced fighting force the world has ever seen, soldiers without basic computer programming skills cannot automate simple tasks, integrate data sources, or effectively leverage the unendi…

U.S. Army researchers are surveying the defense industry to find companies able to develop autonomous cyber defensesfor tactical networks and communications that capitalize on artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., issued a request for information (W56KGU-19-R-AUTOCYBER) on Monday for the Autonomous Cyber project. Researchers are looking for cyber technology to secure automated network decisions and defend against adaptive autonomous cyber attackers at machine speed. The Army Contracting Command is conducting this industry survey on behalf of the Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center Space and Terrestrial Communications Directorate (S&TCD). Overall, S&TCD envisions a combination of several artificial intelligence and machine learning products that deliver autonomous cyber defense capabilities. Specifically, researchers are looking for cyber and trusted computing…